Als der CIA-Austeiger Ward Hopkins zur Beerdigung seiner Eltern fährt, entdeckt er, versteckt im Lehnsessel seines Vaters, eine merkwürdige Botschaft: »Wir sind nicht tot.« Zur gleichen Zeit und Hunderte von Meilen entfernt entführt ein unscheinbarer älterer Mann wieder ein junges Mädchen. Wie zuvor schickt er den Eltern einen sorgsam mit den Haarsträhnen des Opfers bestickten Pullover. Zwei auf den ersten Blick zusammenhanglose Ereignisse, die Hopkins in eine Spirale des Schreckens ziehen werden. Wer ist der geheimnisvolle »Straw Man«, auf den er im Internet stößt? Und wieso kennt der mysteriöse Fremde Einzelheiten aus Wards Leben, von denen dieser selbst nicht einmal wusste? Im Zentrum eines Netzes aus unberechenbarer Gewalt zieht jemand die Fäden, der sich für den zweiten Schöpfer hält und nur ein Ziel kennt: die Schwachen zu töten.
'Just when you think there's nothing new under the sun in the world of the suspense novel, along comes one hell of a nasty spider call The Straw Men. It's brilliantly written and scary as hell. Be the first on your block to stay up all night with this one; it's a masterpiece, reminding us that even paranoids really do have enemies.' STEPHEN KING
'A staggering, suspenseful journey through the darkness of American crime ... succeeds in revitalising the serial killer novel with assured gusto... A new beginning for a major British writer, whose crime debut instantly moves him into the Thomas Harris division' Guardian
'Brilliantly plotted, stunningly written ... I read this in one go ... if this isn't a hit, I am a monkey's uncle. And I don't think I am'. Independent on Sunday
'Marshall's descriptions of people and places are memorable and evocative and he has produced and absorbing mystery with a chilling denouement' Sunday Telegraph
'The Straw Men is a genuinely original thriller that combines the imagination and darkness of his previous work with bolts of nerve-screaming tension ... Think "The X-files" meets "Hannibal".' Time Out
'A staggering, suspenseful journey through the darkness of American crime ... succeeds in revitalising the serial killer novel with assured gusto... A new beginning for a major British writer, whose crime debut instantly moves him into the Thomas Harris division' Guardian
'Brilliantly plotted, stunningly written ... I read this in one go ... if this isn't a hit, I am a monkey's uncle. And I don't think I am'. Independent on Sunday
'Marshall's descriptions of people and places are memorable and evocative and he has produced and absorbing mystery with a chilling denouement' Sunday Telegraph
'The Straw Men is a genuinely original thriller that combines the imagination and darkness of his previous work with bolts of nerve-screaming tension ... Think "The X-files" meets "Hannibal".' Time Out